Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Mae West: Hollywood Exploits

MAE WEST is one of the bad girl actresses mentioned in a long, fascinating series. Let’s have a look. This is Part 5.
• • “This Is the Action of a Very Naughty Young Lady” • •
• • The 1930s Glamour Factory, Fear of Socialist Agitators, and “The Luther of Burbank” • •
• • Bright spots in women’s finances, actresses winning in the system • •
• • Kerry McElroy wrote: Still, each article in this series has aimed to take hope in the lives and courage of particular actresses in film history. Bette Davis is arguably the most exemplary of these from the 1930s both for her witty and candid recollections of the exploitative Hollywood underbelly in 1962’s The Lonely Life, and for her role in an important court case over actress rights.
• • Three controversial actresses • • . . .
• • To be concluded on the next post.
• • Source: Independent Magazine; published on Sunday, 30 September 2018.
• • Mildred Katherine West [8 December 1898 — 12 March 1982] • •
• • In the month of March, we honor Mae's younger sister Beverly.
• • In March 1924, Variety noted a new act listed on Manhattan's stagebill: "Beverly West and Co., Piano and Singing." While not mentioning that she was Mae West's sister, Variety's reviewer admitted that "she puts over her numbers acceptably." Proctor's East 58th Street location had engaged Beverly and her musicians in 1924. Back in 1895, F.F. Proctor had built his playhouse, Proctor's Pleasure Palace Palm Gardens, on 154 East 58th Street, New York, NY in midtown on the eastside [now zipcode 10022]. During the same interval (mid-March in 1924), Mae West was trouping in vaudeville in Texas.
• • Born in Brooklyn on 8 December 1898, Beverly changed her stage name a few times. She was Beverly Osborne, then it was Beverly Arden. Afflicted with polio and a limp, Beverly favored long dresses that covered her imperfect legs. Beverly died two years after her older sister on Friday, 12 March 1982. She was 83.
• • On Saturday, 12 March 1938 • •
• • On Saturday, 12 March 1938 , the Indianapolis Recorder reported that Louis Armstrong, who has just taken Nap-Town by storm last week at a local theatre, starred with Mae West in the picture “Every Day Is a Holiday.” 
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • The N.Y. Times was aware of the uproar from the Hays Office that delayed Mae's latest motion picture "Klondike Annie."
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: “I think Dior looks good — — on Dior.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • A Bronx, NY radio station played a song sung by Mae West.
• • WFMU: DJ Roulette’s Playlist dated from Sunday, 12 March 2017 scheduled this rock and roll hit for the number two position: Mae West singing “Shakin' All Over” . . .
• • Note: This rock and roll standard was first performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. Written by frontman Johnny Kidd, it reached #1 in the U.K. in August 1960.
• • Note: Frederick Heath a.k.a. Johnny Kidd met an early end but not by his own hand. He died on 7 October 1966, in a fatal car crash.

• • Source: WFMU; published on Sunday, 12 March 2017
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 14th anniversary • •  
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,100 blog posts. Wow!  
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4167th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
________

Source: https://maewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml   

• • Photo:
• • Mae West • sister Beverly

• • Feed — — http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MaeWest
  Mae West

No comments:

Post a Comment